{"id":2579,"date":"2026-10-17T16:28:52","date_gmt":"2026-10-17T07:28:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mediaartleague.org\/en\/?p=2579"},"modified":"2026-10-17T17:40:10","modified_gmt":"2026-10-17T08:40:10","slug":"media-art-message-no-17","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/mediaartleague.org\/en\/blog\/media-art-message-no-17\/","title":{"rendered":"Media + Art = Message No.17: Emperor Sh\u014dmu\u2019s True Motives for the Construction of the Great Buddha\u2014\u2018For a world in which all things\u2014flora and fauna alike\u2014may flourish\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

The \u2018Road of Light and Hope\u2019 photography exhibition of T\u014ddai-ji\u2019s National Treasures (by MIRO ITO) opened on 29 September, at the University of Salamanca in Spain. After being held at the United Nations Headquarters in New York in May 2016, this is its13th venue in 11 countries on world tour.<\/p>\n

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Spanish-Japanese Cultural Center (Palacio de San Boal), Salamanca<\/p><\/div>\n

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This exhibition promotes the all-encompassing worldview of the Huayan (Kegon<\/em> in Japanese) philosophy, which holds that \u2018all things are interconnected and everything is linked as one\u2019. Around 1,300 years ago, in a time of national crisis, when Japan suffered major earthquakes and famines while smallpox was rampant, Emperor Sh\u014dmu issued an imperial edict in 743 CE ordering the construction of the Great Buddha\u2014as a catalyst of national unity.<\/p>\n

Over half of the nation\u2019s estimated 5 million population heeded Sh\u014dmu\u2019s appeal to help create the statue: ‘even with just a single stem of straw and a handful of earth’.<\/p>\n

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Brochure (\u2018Road of Light and Hope: National Treasures of T\u014ddai-ji Temple by Miro Ito)<\/p><\/div>\n

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That nothing in this world exists in isolation; that everything is infinitely interconnected and interrelated; that all things are one\u2014this message should be embraced by all as something extremely important that we can do in our everyday lives. Even though the empathy of one individual may only be a tiny ripple, it can resonate through the whole world as through a tuning fork.<\/p>\n

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\u201cEmpress Michiko Hall\u201d: The only venue in the world permitted to bear the name of a former Empress (with a photograph of retired emperor & empress displayed in the top left-hand corner)<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"🔸\"Unraveling the History of East-West Exchange: From National Treasures to Important Cultural Properties<\/em>, including hidden Buddhist statues<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another focus of this exhibition is to trace the history of East-West cultural exchange and highlight the commonalities between East and West as well as North and South within cultures.<\/p>\n

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Four Heavenly Kings (Kaidan-d\u014d) and two photographs depicting Hokke-d\u014d\u2019s inner sanctum (back of right side)<\/p><\/div>\n

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During the golden age of the Tang Dynasty (712\u2013765), centered on the reign of Emperor Xuanzong and known as the \u2018High Tang\u2019, the capital of Chang\u2019an saw the blossoming of a culture of unprecedented international diversity, fueled by trade along the Silk Road. This remarkable international character and diversity were also introduced to Heij\u014d-ky\u014d (710\u2013794), Japan\u2019s imperial capital at the time. Today, Nara, along with Chang’an (Xi’an) across the sea, are known as the \u2018easternmost terminus of the Silk Road<\/p>\n

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Hidden statue of Vajrapani in the Hokke-d\u014d (left) and statue of Indra (Gakk\u014d)<\/p><\/div>\n

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In this exhibition, we explore the points of convergence between the zeniths of Eastern and Western aesthetic traditions, as seen in a collection of 8th-century National Treasure Buddhist statues (Japanese National Treasures), which were photographed with special permission from T\u014ddai-ji Temple. These include the hidden statue of Vajrapani in the Hokke-d\u014d, which has its origins in Hercules, and the Four Heavenly Kings statues in the Kaidan-d\u014d, which follow the realistic style of classical Greek art, and the statues traditionally attributed to Nikk\u014d and Gakk\u014d (representing Indra and Brahma), which were originally part of the same ensemble: an impressive collection of masterpieces of Nara-period clay-sculpture<\/p>\n

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Inner Sanctum of Hokke-d\u014d (Principle image: Fuk\u016bkensaku Kannon)\/ Brochure: \u2018Camino de Luz y Esperanza: Tesoros Nacionales del Templo T\u014ddai-ji por Miro Ito<\/p><\/div>\n

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Furthermore, an ancient Greek historian once pointed out that the statue of the Bodhisattva Fuk\u016bkensaku Kannon (Sanskrit: Amoghap\u0101\u015ba<\/em>) in the Hokke-d\u014d is also linked to Hercules through its association with the god Shiva.<\/p>\n

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Senju Kannon\/Thousand-Armed Kannon statues: T\u014ddai-ji Museum and Senju-d\u014d<\/p><\/div>\n

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In addition, the Eleven-Headed Bodhisattva statue (11~12 centuries), the principal image enshrined in the Shigatsu-d\u014d Hall at T\u014ddai-ji, and the Thousand-Armed Kannon statue (13 century)\u2014a secret statue enshrined in the Senj\u016bd\u014d Hall\u2014also add a unique touch to the exhibition.<\/p>\n

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Senju Kannon\/Thousand-Armed Kannon statues: T\u014ddai-ji Museum and Senju-d\u014d (right side wall: from the right to middle)<\/p><\/div>\n

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(Brochure: \u2018Camino de Luz y Esperanza: Tesoros Nacionales del Templo T\u014ddai-ji por Miro Ito)<\/p><\/div>\n

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The exhibits also include such photographs as the 8th<\/sup> century Gagaku masks from T\u014ddai-ji\u2014which bring together performing arts and folk traditions from along the Oasis Route\u2014as well as the 12 century Bugaku masks\u2014a collection of court performing arts from along the Maritime Silk Road\u2014belonging to the Kasuga-Taisha Shrine; both sites are part of the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site: Historic Monuments of Ancient Nara<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Gigaku masks of T\u014ddai-ji (right wall) and Bugaku masks of Kasuga-Taisha Shrine<\/p><\/div>\n

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Gigaku masks of T\u014ddai-ji (right wall) and Bugaku masks of Kasuga-Taisha Shrine (middle wall) and Buddhist statues of Daianji (left) and Shorin-ji (middle in left wall)<\/p><\/div>\n

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The masterpieces of the Buddhist sculpture art of the 8th century of Daian-ji and Sh\u014drin-ji will be also added in the coming venue in Salamanca. Furthermore, a new short film by Miro Ito will be screened on site (in Spanish): The Vairocana Buddha of T\u014ddai-ji Temple: Formation of Cosmic Life-Force and Light of Wisdom<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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Buddhist statues of Daianji (left), Sh\u014drin-ji (middle) and T\u014ddai-ji Temples<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"🔸\"<\/strong>Opening Ceremony<\/strong><\/p>\n

The National Treasures featured in this exhibition are represented by two life-size statues of Prince Sh\u014dtoku\u2014both considered to be\u00a0\u2018hidden Buddha\u2019\u00a0statues: a Kannon of Salvation from the Asuka period (early to mid-7th century) and a statue of Prince Sh\u014dtoku\u00a0(Regent\u00a0Statue, 1122) created 500 years after his death\u00a0in\u00a0622\u00a0CE.<\/p>\n

The Kudara Kannon statue,\u00a0exhibited at the Louvre in 1997, and the Yumechigai Kannon (lit. Dream Changer) statue,\u00a0exhibited at the British Museum in 2019, also add to the exhibition\u2019s appeal.\u00a0Two\u00a0more\u00a0important statues\u2014the two-year-old and the sixteen-year-old\u00a0Prince Sh\u014dtoku\u2014which were created\u00a0as\u00a0Prince Sh\u014dtoku\u2019s beliefs spread, are Important Cultural\u00a0Property from Gang\u014d-ji (formerly H\u014dk\u014d-ji), Japan\u2019s first Buddhist temple.<\/p>\n

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From left to right: Mr. Takeda, Mr. Flores, Ms. Martinez and Miro Ito<\/p><\/div>\n

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Inauguration speech by Miro Ito (translated into Spanish by Ms. Sugiyama)<\/p><\/div>\n

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Dates: 29th September to 18th December 2026<\/p>\n

Opening hours: Monday to Friday (11:00 AM to 1:45 PM, 5:30 PM to 8:45 PM)<\/p>\n

Address: Pl. de San Boal, 13, 37002 Salamanca, Spain<\/p>\n

Tel: +34 923 29 45 60<\/p>\n

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EXPOSICI\u00d3N: Camino de Luz y Esperanza<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n